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And the Winner is...

12/14/2019

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Thank you to all who came out  Saturday, December 7th for the Christmas in Kaneville festivities. And thank you for all the raffle ticket submissions. The Kaneville Historical Society is grateful for the donations. The $128.00 in raffle ticket sales will help continue their upkeep of the Benton House and the Farley House, and in the preservation of historical artifacts important to the local story of Kaneville.

The winner of the demonstration painting is Lynette Werdin, our matriarch
​of Kaneville, and the vice-president of the Kaneville Historical Society. Congratulations, Lynette!
                 Set up                                         In Progress                     Visitors & Questions                        
Lynette purchasing what would be the winning ticket!
​And the final demonstration painting.
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Christmas in Kaneville

11/25/2019

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Kaneville's annual holiday celebration is Saturday, December 7, 2019. Among the events around town, the bank will have treats, the library will have crafts, stories and book sale, and you may find the perfect gift at the craft show in the gym, all located in the Kaneville Community Center at the corner of Harter and Main Street Road –2S101 Harter Rd, Kaneville, IL 60144. 

As part of the festivities, I will be in the gym, doing a demonstration painting. The piece will be completed and framed, to be raffled off, with all proceeds donated to the Kaneville Historical Society, whose mission is to collect and preserve artifacts and documentary materials of the town, and to educate, and promote its history. The raffle tickets are $1.00.  If you can't come that day, and you would like to participate in the drawing, you have a little bit of time to mail in money for tickets. 
​
Send to:
Robert J Krajecki
46W420 Main Street Rd
​Elburn, IL 60119 

​The winner need not be present.  You don't have to be here to win, but come out, visit Santa, buy some cookies by the pound at the church, or grab some free peppermint ice cream or hot cocoa at "The Purple Store". 

Last year's winner was a current student in my Kaneville watercolor class-Melissa Brouilette -the painting here.
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A look back: a demo painting in progress, a potential future student, and another happy winner -a Kaneville resident!
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Watercolor Techniques

9/15/2019

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To illustrate some of the techniques that can be used in watercolor painting, I used several in a recent demonstration painting. 
In the first wash, working very wet, I used salt to create a texture. Small grained table salt and large grained kosher salt pushes the pigment away as it melts. This works for foliage, rocks and gravel roads.
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 The second technique that I used was scraping and scratching.
In the trunk of the tree, I scraped while the paint was still wet.

Scratching when the paint is wet creates a groove in the paper that will fill in with pigment to create a dark area. When the paint is semi-wet, the scratch marks will not fill in completely, leaving a lighter mark of the color that was scratched into.

I scratched into the foreground in areas where the paint was dry. You can remove all of the paint, right through to the white of the paper when the paint is dry.
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Finally, in the foreground, while very wet, I blotted with a soft tissue to lift some of the pigment in random shapes, which were then used to create grass- like textures.
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Finished demo
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While fun to experiment with, focusing on techniques don't make a painting successful! In a good painting, drawing must be accurate, the values or form must be correct, the composition must be good, and the color correct in relation to the light source. Experiment with ways of adding texture, and the interesting techniques that can add even more depth to your paintings.
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Finding Your Art

8/15/2019

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My favorite subject to paint is waterfalls. Traveling to Bond Falls in Michigan which has several falls is always a pleasure for gathering more subject matter to paint.
On one trip, satisfied with the  many photos of the rocks and water around the main fall, I was ready to leave. On the way back to my car I noticed this little area cast perfectly in light and shadow.  At any other time I would not have noticed it. 
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The maple tree seedling against the dark background was the subject that I used to paint "Reaching For the Light" which received an Honorable Mention in the recent Illinois Watercolor Members show.
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You don't have to travel to exotic places. Very often the perfect reference for inspiration is right at your feet, beckoning in a ray of afternoon sunlight.
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Signature status!

6/17/2019

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As a teacher and painter for almost 50 years, my passion has always been watercolor painting. A difficult medium to begin with, painting without using any opaque medium is even more challenging. To gain signature status in the Transparent watercolor Society of America, an artist must meet the strict criteria set forth by the society, and be accepted into three separate annual exhibits.
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In my previous blog I announced that my painting "D and M Falls" was accepted into the Transparent Watercolor Society's annual exhibit and awards dinner, when I would be awarded signature status into the TWSA. 

I enjoyed great conversation with many of my peers, as well as with several of my students who came to share in the days' events, and celebrate with us.

Donna Jill Witty, TWSA Master, president of the TWSA, and former student of mine, gave a very personal, touching presentation, expressing gratitude to me for her own success as a professional artist. I was deeply moved by her words.

I was also awarded the $1000 Winslow Homer Award, and the painting was sold as well!

It was a rewarding time of success, surprises and celebration!

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The title of the painting is "D and M Falls". Debbie on the right and Melissa are the "D & M" for contributing to the success of this painting.
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You Are Invited!

3/13/2019

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Entering an art competition can have positive affects on your reputation, inspiring you to do your absolute best work. Knowing that someone is judging your work requires confidence, both in your creations, and in yourself as an artist.

You need to be able to evaluate your own work in an objective manner. Looking at your own work can become so familiar over time, that you might have stopped seeing some of its strongest–and weakest–elements. When others see your art, they are looking at it for the first time.

Entering art shows can also be very intimidating, and sometimes frustrating. Entering a competition pushes you to do a painting that is so good you feel no judge would even think of rejecting it.  

But what does that mean? What do the judges know about painting? What is their background? Are they being truly objective? Are they influenced by current trends in art? Can they judge paintings that are not in their style? Do they really take the time to study every painting submitted?

I’ve entered two paintings in each of the previous five exhibits. They were judged by ten different judges. All of the paintings below were rejected for that year's show. They are not bad paintings. In fact, I know they are some of my best. 

Finally, one of my paintings, "D and M Falls" has been accepted into the Transparent Watercolor Society of Americas' exhibit, when I will be awarded signature status! Being accepted into the TWSA is an accomplishment, and a personal honor.

Winning a competition will provide you with validation and distinction as a professional fine artist, and will inspire you to work even harder. Just keep painting good paintings, and good things will happen.

Persistence really does pay off!





"D and M Falls" has been accepted into the 2019 exhibit!

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Bucking the Trend

1/13/2019

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Photorealism, abstraction, impressionism and everything in-between has fallen in and out of popularity through the ages. 
The current trend in the world of transparent watercolor is photorealism. Looking at the work coming from most of the watercolor societies in this country, it is evident that the majority of selected paintings and winning entries are in this genre.

While I am not  a photo-realistic painter, I generally enter work in three national shows each year. 

It may be tempting for artists to alter their style to meet the changing trends in art. It certainly can be an opportunity for growth, to challenge an artist out of their comfort zone. Yet it is also important to stay true to yourself, to continue to work in the medium and manner that gives you joy in your craft, in whatever style that may be.

The Midwest Watercolor Society was started in the 1970s by several midwest watercolorists including my teacher and mentor, Mr. Irving Shapiro. It grew from a regional show to a national exhibit, and became The Transparent Watercolor Society of America, with artists entering their work from across the country.. I have entered the two paintings below into their upcoming annual national exhibit.

Persistence pays off.
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From The Classroom

10/30/2018

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When To Put the Brush Down...or
​How To Ruin a Painting
This past Friday, in my Kaneville Watercolor class, I was in the middle of a demo painting, which is part of my instruction in almost every class session.

I wanted to keep this first wash abstract, using pigments that separate–to create texture without actually painting texture; to show reality without the painting looking like a photograph. 

The second step was to establish the center of interest, and shape and form. Fortunately the first two steps worked out, which doesn’t always happen! 

At that point, one of my students said “leave it alone, you’re done.”  I hadn’t even started the planned Step 3. So I stopped, put my brush down, and we engaged in a discussion of “when is a painting completed?”
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While this painting looked “finished” to some of my students, I knew it still needed more work. To strengthen the center of interest, I needed to make
the tree on the left a little larger. The area in the middle ground on the right looked like a vertical plane, not like “ground”, so I had to add some change of value to create a more horizontal plane. 


Because it was a demo, and not a complete painting, I stopped with those simple changes. Ideally, I would have added more form and detail in the upper tree branches.
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My students commented that the foreground looked like water–though that was not my intention! So, I would have gone back into that area to better connect the foreground with the plane in Step 2, making it look more like solid ground.
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Every artist has their own idea of what a completed painting should look like. Some artists like to include a lot of detail, others, like myself, choose to leave something to the imagination. The discussion continues.

The photo for the next painting is from Bond Falls, Michigan. The photo reference is just that–the inspiration for a painting, not meant to be a copy of the photograph.
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The drawing for the painting shows which elements I wanted to highlight, as well as elements that I added to create a stronger composition.
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I most often start with a limited color palette,  only adding other pigments for subtle adjustments to temperature and intensity. The primary pigments I used for this painting are Brown Madder, Burnt Umber, Raw Sienna and Ultramarine Blue.
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The colors and values of the rocks and water in Step 1 are blocked-in, suggesting the background. Leaving portions of the water “white” necessitated painting up to an edge, which is always problematic, but in this painting it was necessary in defining the elements. I will paint the “shape” of the water later.
The middle ground was painted next. I wanted more contrast and intensity in all of the elements to create more depth.
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Working into the foreground for Step 3, I increased the contrast and intensity.
So far, so good.

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Step 4 is where I started to get into trouble. I wanted more contrast and intensity in the foreground rocks and water, but began to lose the form of each element. To achieve more form in the center of interest, I added color to the fallen tree trunks.
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Step 5...and beyond. In an attempt to save the painting, I added more intense color to the water in the foreground. To get more detail in the center of interest, I “lifted” color from the fallen trees to give them more shape and form. To get better movement, I added more color and contrast to the rocks and water in the back ground. I did a lot of scratching in the water. 
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"I added detail. I took away detail. All of these adjustments resulted in the loss of the directness of the original application of paint. I created "mud".
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If you are not sure of what to do in a painting, don’t do anything. Go back into your work only when you are sure that your next move will improve the painting. 
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Rule #2

7/16/2018

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When I started art school long ago, one of my instructors said that if I wanted to be a good artist, one of the first things I should do is to buy a ream of typing paper and fill it with lines. First draw vertical lines on all of the sheets of paper, and on both sides. Then draw horizontal lines.
Then draw diagonal lines from left to right, and finally diagonal lines from right to left. The lines also had to be spaced equally apart.


So, I bought a ream of paper (which is 500 sheets) and got to work.  By the time I filled about 40 sheets, I got bored. It was not an exciting exercise. After all, I wanted to be an artist not a draftsman!
​
​After my first year of studies, I took up watercolor painting and found out the importance of that exercise. 

I understood that I had finally left behind my coloring book days, and the grueling practice sessions learning cursive handwriting–all lessons learned using only the wrist. 
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However, in drawing and painting, those habits will not serve you well. You will find that movements with your wrist are restricting, resulting in you having to continually turn your paper or canvas. The line work will lack fluidity.
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You will have a bit more range of motion with movement from your elbow.
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​But drawing from your shoulder will give you unlimited range of motion, especially when working on a larger piece.
Once you are able to control movement from your shoulder, you are more easily able to draw very small and very large lines in any direction without having to move your drawing surface around.
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"Old Tree in Lone Grove"   28"X 16" 
​Drawing from the shoulder enabled me to make the initial drawing of this painting with more flow to capture the fluidity and continuity of the branches.
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Rule #1

6/20/2018

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My third book "Principles and Techniques of Drawing and Painting" is now available. It contains 42 "rules" that I feel are the most important aspects in improving your drawings and paintings. The most important rule in the book is Rule # 42. "Never say never". It simply means that there are no absolute rules in creating good art. However using the "rules" I've created will enable you eventually break them with knowledge.

​Rule #1 is " The key to a good painting is a good drawing."
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Whether it is a landscape, still life or figure, elements in your painting will be comprised of one or more shapes, as shown above –the cube, cone, cylinder, sphere or ribbon. The shapes are often subtle, but if not drawn accurately, as illustrated below, no amount of color or value or technique will save your painting. 
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Below is a recent watercolor demo from my Kaneville class.
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Even slight drawing errors can ruin your painting as shown below in the silo and right side of the barn.
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I will be posting more examples of all of the "rules" in the near future.  You can purchase the book through my website, or on Amazon.com.
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